Obama Empowering the Ayatollah and the Syrian Butcher
The Radical-in-Chief establishes further legitimacy for the ruling clerics.
July 27, 2015
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Following the nuclear deal, President Obama’s appeasement policy towards the Islamic Republic does not seem to have come to an end. In another move, Obama is establishing further legitimacy in the international arena for the ruling clerics.
While the international community opposed Iran’s participation in peace talks regarding the Syrian civil war, President Obama dramatically shifted American tactical and strategic policies towards Damascus and Tehran.
In concentrated efforts to further sell the Iranian nuclear deal, President Obama mentioned in a press conference in the White House that Iran can also be beneficial in resolving the Syrian civil war.
Is the President talking about the same Iranian leaders who recently gave another billion dollars in credit to the Syrian dictator? Is he referring to the same Islamic Republic that economically assisted the Syrian regime through different avenues, including oil subsidies (approximately 60,000 barrels of oil per day), credit lines, intelligence, advisory, and military assistance? Is he talking about the same Iranian leaders who continue to support Hezbollah and other Shiite domestic and foreign fighters in Syria?
President Obama stated while defending the Islamic Republic, “Iran is one of those [important regional] players, and I think it’s important for them to be a part of [the] conversation.”
What president Obama is doing is further legitimizing the Islamic Republic’s power on the global stage and turning a blind eye to Iranian leaders’ role in Assad’s killings and the Syrian civil war (which has led to millions of refugees, more than 200,000 deaths, and the rise of extremist Islamist groups such as the Islamic State).
In the 4-year-long civil war, the Islamic Republic has been one of the major bank-rollers for the Syrian regime. Iranian ruling clerics have spent approximately between $6 and $35 billion a year in order to keep its staunchest regional ally Bashar Al Assad in power.
This amount of spending is significant considering Iran’s military budget is roughly $15 billion a year.
In analyzing the Iran-Syria ties, one can observe that five major groups play crucial roles in maintaining Assad’s rule: 1) The Syrian armed forces, namely, the Syrian Arab Air Forces, Military Intelligence (Mukhabarat), and the Syrian Army (al-Jaysh al-Arabi as-Suri); 2) The Syrian Shiite proxies (operating under the banner of National Defense Force); 3) Foreign Shiite proxies (from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, etc); 4) Hezbollah; and 5) The Qods Force (an elite branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps operating in foreign territories).
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All of these five categories are financially (directly or indirectly) assisted by Iranian ruling establishment.
Instead of putting pressure on Iran and condemning their role in the Syrian civil war, the president is raising his hands in a sign of surrender and asking the Islamic Republic to take the lead.
Before the nuclear deal was reached, there existed some concern among Iranian leaders questioning the cost and benefit of hemorrhaging billions of dollars on Assad. Assad is likely also concerned about the possibility of financial cuts or changing Iran’s political calculation to support him. Nevertheless, President Obama came to their rescue at the right time. Obama’s nuclear deal, the gradual lifting of sanctions, the release of $100 billion in frozen assets has definitely eased Iran’s financial concerns and removed Assad’s fears. Financially speaking, the nuclear deal partially eliminated Assad’s concerns that Iran might have to cut down financial support to his government.
Bashar Al Assad congratulated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the nuclear deal calling it a “major turning point.” Of course, he meant a major turning point in his favor.
But what is more crucial for Iranian-Syrian relations is indeed the lifting of the arms embargo, which Iranian leaders fought for so vehemently in the last few days of the nuclear deal.
China and Russia are likely already beginning to chart ways to make billions of dollars by selling advanced weapons to Iran. This may open a channel for Assad’s army to be equipped by the Islamic Republic with more sophisticated weaponry.
Finally, privately, Iranian leaders will likely welcome America's invitation to participate in “peace” talks regarding Syria for several reasons.
First of all, from the Iranian leaders' perspective, America's invitation further projects Iran’s power in the region. Secondly, Iranian leaders might be capable of altering Obama’s position towards Assad: leaving him in power. Third, if the US insists on Assad stepping down, Iranian leaders can persuade Obama to follow a policy which allows the ruling Alawites to stay in power. Fourth, for Iranian leaders, Obama’s invitation to Iran projects limited American power in on global affairs and failed American exceptionalism. Finally, Obama’s offer means that Iran, China and Russia can take the lead in the Syrian civil war and mark the end as they desire serving their national, geopolitical and ideological interests
In conclusion, Obama’s offers to the Islamic Republic are not only further legitimizing the ruling clerics and exaggerating their power, but also suggesting that the US occupies a desperate position and a lack of powerful leadership on the global stage.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259592/obama-empowering-ayatollah-and-syrian-butcher-dr-majid-rafizadeh
